


Power of Dr. Seuss, The

by GinnyK



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-11-07
Updated: 2002-11-07
Packaged: 2019-05-31 04:51:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15112151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: Donna tries to deal with a broodingJosh with a little help from his mother and Dr. Seuss.





	Power of Dr. Seuss, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**The Power of Dr. Seuss**

**by:** Ginny

**Pairing/Characters:** Josh/Donna  
**Rating:** YTEEN  
**Series:** 3rd in the Picking Up the Pieces series  
**Disclaimer:** They're not mine, nor do I expect to get them as a birthday present tomorrow. 

Josh and Donna had barely had time to get over the anniversary of the shooting before all hell broke loose.  It had been a month since the anniversary and 3 weeks since the President announced he was suffering from a relapsing/remitting course of Multiple Sclerosis and despite that fact he was going to seek a second term.  To say things had been crazy at work was a complete understatement. Most members of the senior staff and their assistants had barely spent anytime away from the West Wing.  And when they did actually escape most of that time was spent catching a few hours of relative peace and quiet.  Many had taken to sleeping on the couches in their offices and in the basement.  Most people were taking things in stride.  There was a new energy in the building, a renewed sense of purpose and of meaning. And it showed in the faces of most of the senior staff.

Except for the face of Josh Lyman.  

This was the kind of frenzied existence he thrived on; yet he just wasn't himself.  He had been plagued by residual stiffness from the shooting for over a month.  Despite being sent home numerous times to get some sleep he looked as if he hadn't slept more than 3 hours in a row for weeks.  He wasn't eating and had begun to lose weight.  His eyes had a vaguely haunted look to them.  In addition to the physical signs there was something else that worried his friends and co-workers even more; he just wasn't in his normal fighting mode. It was as if he were slowly giving up. He hadn't thrown any temper tantrums, he hadn't pissed off any Republicans and he had even stopped yelling Donna's name.  He was doing his best to hide whatever it was that was bothering him but he was starting to fail.  Donna, Sam and Leo had spent more than a lunch break or two trying to figure out what was going on.  They weren't having much luck coming up with an answer.  

With all that was going on at work any desires or thoughts that Josh and Donna had about taking their relationship any further had been pushed aside.  Not that things were bad between them or anything.  Things were good, not as great as they had been a few weeks ago.  But Donna knew that had more to do with Josh's current state of mind than anything else.  Josh's reluctance to talk had cut down on the bantering but she knew deep down their feelings hadn't changed.  They were just victims of circumstances beyond their control.  The truth was, Donna just didn't have the time or energy to contemplate a future with Josh. Just keeping him focused and alert was taking all of her energy.

At the end of particularly trying day she was about to call for reinforcements.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Donna sighed as he watched Josh come through the bullpen.  His trademark swagger was missing, as it had been in the past few weeks.  Also missing was his endearing habit of smacking his hand on the top of the doorframe as he passed through a doorway.  He walked past her desk with only a small smile and entered his office.  Everything about him was quiet; he even closed the door quietly behind him.      

"OK, that's enough" Donna whispered to herself.  She reached under her blotter to retrieve a small piece of paper with a phone number on it.  She cast a glance back at Josh's closed door before dialing.

"Damn" she muttered as an answering machine picked up.

"Hi, Mrs. Lyman...sorry, Rebecca.  It's Donna...I was hoping to talk to you.  I was wondering if you have talked to Josh lately.  He's just hasn't been himself and I was hoping for some insight. Give me a call when you get it. I'm sure I'll be here until late tonight but if I'm not you have my home number.  Oh, by the way, thanks for the cookies, yes, Josh did share them with the rest of us.  Talk to you soon.  Bye."

She sighed as she hung up the phone.  

"Donna, can you come in for a minute" Josh called quietly from his office.

"What I wouldn't give to hear him yell Donnatella at the top of his lungs" muttered Donna as she grabbed a notepad and walked across the hall.

Josh was sitting in his chair with his feet propped up on the desk.  He just looked at Donna as she sat down.  It was as if he didn't remember calling her in.

"Josh...Josh.  Are you OK?  Did you need something?" asked Donna.

"Oh..Yeah, can you type up these notes for my meeting later?  And I need some information on, uh, the thing we were working on last night, you know what I mean right?" said Josh distractedly as he handed her a blue folder.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.  Which is pretty scary.  I'll get these typed up in a few minutes.  Anything else?  You didn't eat much at lunch, are you hungry?"

Josh was staring into space again.  Donna got up out of the chair and put her pad and pen on the desk.  She closed the door and walked over to Josh.  She took his hand and pulled him up out of the chair and pushed him towards the couch.

"Donna what are you doing?  I have work to do." whined Josh.

"Yeah, but you are a million miles away right now and you aren't doing this administration any good.  Just relax, I'll clear an hour and get you something to eat."

"Fine" agreed Josh in a very un-Josh-like fashion.

"Josh, tonight you and I are going to have a long talk.  Somewhere far away from this place. And you are going to tell me what in the hell is going on.  You're driving me crazy, you haven't yelled in weeks and it's starting to scare me"

"Wait, you're upset because I haven't yelled?  I thought you hated it when I yelled for you?" asked Josh trying to make sense of what was going on with Donna.

"Yes, your yelling gets on my nerves. But I also...God I can't believe I am admitting this... find it endearing.  It's part of what makes you...well, you.  And you haven't been yourself lately and I'm worried about you.  We all are.  So you and I are going to have a long talk later.  So be prepared." declared Donna in a voice that gave little room for argument.

"Great, I'll be looking forward to it" smirked Josh.

"Good, now lie down and I'll run to the Mess.  Don't bother telling me you're not hungry because I don't care.  I'll be right back" said Donna as she shut the door before he could say a word.

Fifteen minutes later Donna returned with a cheeseburger, properly overdone, an order of fries and a bottle of iced tea.  She took a deep breath and entered Josh's office expecting him to be back working at his desk.  To her surprise he was still on the couch.  He was curled up with his back towards the door so she entered quietly, on the off chance that he had actually fallen asleep.

"You don't have to sneak around, I'm awake" said Josh as he rolled over and sat up.

"Good" said Donna as she set the food down on the table next to the couch.  "You need anything else?" she asked as she headed for the door.

"No and by the way you had a phone call while you were gone.  It was my mother.  She's on her way out of town for a few days but she was going to e-mail you.  Care to explain why you called her?" asked Josh.

Donna stepped back into the room and sat down on the couch next to Josh.  He was staring straight ahead; she reached over and put her hand on his cheek to turn his face towards her.

"Honestly...I'm worried about you.  And I'm not the only one.  Leo and Sam have noticed something is wrong too.  I've tried to talk to you a few times over the past few weeks and you've just shut me out.  So I decided to see if your mother had any words of wisdom about how to handle a sullen, moody Joshua Lyman." said Donna.

"Oh.  Guess I didn't give you much of a choice did I?" asked Josh as he picked at his burger.  "Look, I'm sorry.  I don't know what's wrong.  It's just..."

"Joshua, we'll talk later.  Don't worry about it now.  Eat and get back to work.  We are leaving at a decent time tonight.  I'm going to go type your notes and confirm your appointment.  OK?"

"Deal"

Their eyes meet for a slightly awkward moment until Donna just patted his shoulder and left the room.

Donna typed Josh's notes and confirmed his appointment before checking her e-mail. Just as Josh had said, there was a message from his mother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subj:  Joshua the Terrible 

Date: 6/14/01

From: noahswife@aol.com

To: dmoss@whitehouse.gov

Dear Donna,

Sorry I missed you.  I am on my way out of town for a few days but I wanted to get in touch with you before I left.  

I haven't really talked to Josh for a few weeks now.  Not for lack of trying on my part. I can definitely understand why you are worried about him, I am too.  And since Leo has called three times in the last month we can safely assume he's worried too.  I don't know if Josh mentioned this but Noah's birthday was in June as is Father's Day.  Maybe that has something to do with his mood. I think it's just a combination of things.  He misses Noah this time of year, he hasn't been feeling well, (I hope he has told you about the stiffness) things have obviously been hectic at work, and the anniversary of the shooting has just passed.  I don't think it's any one thing that's bothering him.  

My advice to you is to be gentle, not that you are even anything but gentle with him.  Give him the chance to come to you.  You know all too well that if you push him too hard he will just shut down.  If all else fails, you can always try Dr. Seuss, he always brought a smile to Josh's face when he was younger.  And when he wasn't so young, but don't tell him I told you that little bit of information.  I noticed he still has his collection of Dr. Seuss books on the bookshelf in his living room.  

I have to run so I can catch my plane.  I have my laptop with me.  Keep me posted. Give everyone my best and give Josh a kiss from me.

While you are doing your best to take care of Joshua don't forget to take care of yourself.

Love,

Rebecca

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Donna read the message twice and then took the notes in to Josh.  He was working at his desk, picking at the remaining fries on his plate.

"Here are your notes.  Your meeting starts in an hour.  Glad to see you ate."

Donna walked behind the desk and leaned over to plant a kiss on the top of Josh's head. He blushed instantly and gave her a strange look.

"And that was from your mother" she said as she left the room.  "We are leaving here the minute you return from the hill, no excuses."

"Yes, ma'am" smirked Josh as he turned his attention back to his work.

Three hours later Donna was on her way to Josh's apartment.  She had stopped by her place to change and drop off her work bag.  She wasn't exactly sure what she was going to say to him. She remembered his mother's words and made a silent promise to be gentle.  He was sitting on the steps drinking a beer when she pulled up.  He smiled at her as she sat down next to him.

"You want your own or should we just share" he asked as he held the beer up.

"We can share"  

She took the beer from him and took a drink as Josh fidgeted nervously next to her.  Absently she reached over and rubbed his back.

"Josh, calm down.  I'm not here to interrogate you.  I'm just worried about you." she said as she handed the bottle back to him.  

He took another drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I guess I have been acting a little strange lately.  I don't know, it's nothing, it's everything.  God, I just don't know what's wrong with me.  The past month I've felt like I'm just going through the motions, you know what I mean?"

Donna smiled as she took his hand in hers.

"Yeah, I know what you mean"

"I've felt like crap.  I've felt betrayed, left out, over worked.  But most of all I've felt like I'm just being pulled along by life.  That I'm not really living but only existing.  God, I sound like I belong on Oprah.  I talk to Stanley every week. And I guess that's helping.  But I know I've pushed you away, I've pushed Leo and Sam away, I've even pushed my mom away.  But I suppose you already knew that."

"Yeah, I did." admitted Donna as she lightly rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand.  "Your mom also gave me a few hints as to what might be bothering you."

"Really?" asked Josh raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah.  For starters, we know you've been having trouble with you hip and leg and that in turn makes your back act up. Your mom mentioned that your dad's birthday was in June as is Father's Day.  We barely had time to get through the anniversary of the shooting before all hell broke loose at work.  The most important fact is that you are not taking care of yourself.  You're not eating right, you're barely sleeping.  You can't let yourself get so run down.  It's not healthy and you're going to get yourself in trouble.  I'm not afraid to get the First Lady after you if I have to."

"You and your little assistant friends just love playing the First Lady card, don't you?" smirked Josh as he finished the beer.

"Hey, whatever works" laughed Donna.  

"Let's go inside and get another beer" said Josh as he stood and held out his hand for Donna.

She followed him into the apartment, not dropping his hand until they were inside.  Josh went into the kitchen while Donna stayed in the living room.  She gazed at the bookcase next to the window.  She didn't have much trouble locating Josh's collection of Dr. Seuss books. They weren't hard to find, a rainbow of bright colors among the dark covers of dusty, seldom used law books, physics texts and his collection of political thrillers.  She pulled out two, The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.  She opened The Cat in the Hat.  Inside the cover was a hand written note from Josh's father.

            Joshua,

            I know learning to read isn't your favorite thing to do.  

            Maybe this will help.

            

            Love,

            Daddy

She closed it and opened Green Eggs and Ham.  Inside was another note.

            Joshua,

                        

            Great job on your report card.  I'm so proud of you.

            Love,

            Daddy

On the first page of both books was the usual THIS BOOK BELONGS TO line.  In the wavering handwriting of a young child was his name, Joshua David Lyman.  Donna closed the book and held it them her chest as she choked back tears.  Tears for the fact that she never got a chance to meet Noah Lyman.  She would have loved to have met the man that raised Josh, the man that Josh adored, the man Josh was forever striving to be. She wiped the few tears that fell with the back of her hand. 

She didn't hear Josh come in to the room.  He came up behind her and touched her shoulder gently.  He handed her the beer and took the books from her hands.  He opened them and ran his fingers over his father's words.  Donna's hand softly rubbed his back while she stood silently next to him.  Tears glistened in his eyes.  In the past he had never wanted Donna to see him cry.  He would always try to turn away, usually unsuccessfully.  But now, he didn't care.  More than anything he wanted her to comfort him.  He wanted to forget the world around him, if only for one night.  He wanted to go back and be that 6-year-old boy who was struggling to read.  The boy whose father spent an hour every night working with him on his reading.  

Donna reached over, put her hand under his chin and turned his face towards hers.  She planted a kiss on his forehead and gave him a hug. She led him to the couch and sat down next to him.  She put her fingers to his lips when he tried to speak.  Instead she took the books from him and pulled him into her arms. She held him tight as his tears came. Not trusting her own voice, she said nothing as she ran her fingers through his hair and rubbed his back.

He was tired. Tired of spending every waking moment at work, tired of always having to *spin* some monumental problem, tired of worrying about the disease that could slowly rob Jed Bartlet of his cognitive functions, tired of having people watch him carefully, checking to see if the windows in his office were still intact.  Most of all he was tired of the way he was acting.  He wanted his spirit and desire to fight to return.  He wanted to be able to relax, smile and enjoy life. He wanted to try and make sense of his relationship with Donna.  He wanted them to move forward, slowly.  He was tired of giving Donna reasons to worry about him.

He took a deep breath and untangled himself from Donna's embrace.  He reached for the box of tissues on the coffee table.  He took out two and handed one to Donna.  He grabbed the books and sat back on the couch.  Turning towards Donna he spoke in a weak, tired voice.

"Guess my mom told you about my secret passion for Dr. Seuss?" he asked as he opened up The Cat in the Hat.

"Yeah she did.  I read the notes.  Sorry if that was intruding, I just..."

"It's fine" said Josh in a reassuring voice.  "God, I miss him so much" he sobbed as leaned forward and put his head in his hands.

"I know." she whispered as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.  She let him sob for a minute before speaking. 

"So tell me about this obsession with Dr. Seuss" she prodded gently.

"Well, when I was first learning to read I hated it.  I wasn't good at it and I used to do anything to get out of trying.  My father brought home all kinds of books in an effort to get me to enjoy reading.  One day he brought home The Cat in the Hat.  And I guess the rest is history.  As you saw from the collection on the shelf I have almost every Dr. Seuss book ever written.  Even when I was older, whenever I got down, I would read them.  They always made me laugh.  In college my friends and I had a drinking game that revolved around Dr. Seuss."

"A drinking game that involved Dr. Seuss, isn't that sacrilegious or something like that" teased Donna.

"Well, we would read aloud while drinking.  The last one to be able to read Fox in Socks while drunk was the winner."

"Let me guess, you didn't win very often"

"No" he said sarcastically "I had this sensitive system back in college too" he laughed.  He gave a small smile that showed his dimples but didn't quite reach his eyes.

"So this explains why you always have a Dr Seuss book in your backpack." 

"You know about that?" asked Josh as he turned a nice shade of pink.  "How come you never asked me about it?"

"I figured sooner or later you would tell me why it was in there" she admitted shyly.

"Now you know, I'm just a kid at heart, I guess"

"I don't have to guess, I know you are.  You should take a look in the mirror next time you get all excited about something.  You grin like a kid on Christmas morning"

"Hanukkah" corrected Josh.

"Hanukkah.  You bounce around like a 5 year old on a sugar high.  It's adorable really.  Makes me wish I had known you when you were younger. I wish I had known your Dad."

"I do too.  He would have liked you, I'm sure of that" whispered Josh tiredly.  

He yawned as Donna moved towards the end of the couch.  She stretched her long legs out on the couch and pulled him down.  Reaching under his chin she took off his tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt.  He pulled the shirttails out of his pants and pulled his own legs up.  Settling him in her arms she rested her chin on the top of his head.  They stayed like that for a long time.  Neither one spoke at all.  Every so often Donna would lightly kiss the top of his head and run her fingers along the scar on his chest that served as a constant reminder of how close she came to losing him.  She was hoping he would relax enough to fall asleep.  But he didn't.  He yawned every few minutes but never drifted off.  

  

"Josh, you're exhausted.  Why don't I get going and let you get some sleep."

"No.  I mean, yeah, I could use some sleep, but don't go. Please?" pleaded Josh as he tipped his head back to look at her with his big brown puppy dog eyes.

There was no way she could resist a face like that.

"OK, I'll stay, if you promise to sleep."

"Deal."

She patted him on the ribs and motioned for him to let her up.  He leaned up slightly to let Donna off the couch.

  

"Oh, if you're hungry there's food in the kitchen.  I actually went to the food store last weekend."

"Gee Joshua, I'm impressed" teased Donna.

Josh gave her a smirk as he kicked off his shoes and curled back up on the couch.  Donna covered him up with the afghan and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Donna"

"You're welcome, now get some rest"

She sat on the coffee table for a few minutes, until she was sure he was asleep.  Turning out the light, she went in to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea.  She saw Josh's laptop on the table and decided to send an email to Rebecca.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subj:  He talked 

Date: 6/14/01

From:dmoss@whitehouse.gov

To: noahswife@aol.com

Dear Rebecca,

Well the subject says it all.  Josh talked.  I think it is just a combination of all the things that are going on in his life that are dragging him down.  We talked about Noah for a while.  He shared some stories about his passion for Dr. Seuss.  It's almost 8 here and believe it or not Josh is sound asleep on the couch.  I'm really hoping he will just sleep through the night.  But I think that is asking for too much.  

Just wanted to let you know that we may have turned a corner. Keep your fingers crossed.  Have a nice trip.

Love,

Donna

Donna poured another cup of tea and went out to the living room to check on Josh.  He was still sound asleep.  She grabbed the books off the coffee table and took them into the kitchen with her.  She took a sip of the tea and flipped open The Cat in the Hat.  As she read thoughts began forming in her head.  She put the book down and opened the laptop back up again.  Smiling to herself she began to type.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subj:  With apologies to Dr. Seuss

Date: 6/14/01

From:dmoss@whitehouse.gov

To:jlyman@whitehouse.gov

Josh,

You're sound asleep and I've been flipping through your book.  This came to my mind and against my better judgment I'm sending it to you. I hope it brings a smile to your face.

Your face did not shine.

For day after day.

All we did was do work.

There was no time for play.

I sat while we worked.

We sat there, we two.

And I said, "How I wish

I knew what to do."

Too quiet were you

And too tired to smile

So we sat there in silence

Unfinished work in a large pile.

All you could do was to

brood

brood   

brood

brood

And I did not like it.

You and your bad mood.

And then 

Something made you jump

Into the desk you did bump.

We stared

And you complained about a *thing*

We stared

And it hit me.

You were holding on by a string.

And then you said to me,

as the phone began to ring.

I know I'm a pain

And not very happy

What I wouldn't give

To have a day that's not crappy.

God, that's bad.  Hope you don't think I've totally lost it.  Really, I am in complete control of things.  Although having fewer things to keep in control at one time would be nice.

Always,

Donna

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Josh woke up at 10:00 Donna had straightened up his kitchen and made dinner.  They ate and talked until almost midnight.  Donna got up to clear the table and wash the dishes.

"Leave them, I'll do them later" said Josh shooed her into the living room.

"I'm gonna go.  See if I can get a few consecutive hours of sleep for a change." said Donna as she motioned towards the door.

"OK.  Look, thanks for everything.  I'm sorry I've been a pain in the ass lately.  I never meant to hurt you"

"I know" whispered Donna as she reached for the door.

Josh had his hands stuffed in his pockets and he was intently staring at his socks.  Donna put a finger under his chin and lifted his head up until she was staring into his big brown eyes.

"Get some sleep.  I'll see you in the morning.  Things will work out, you'll see. Just remember, let me know if you need anything"

She reached up, smoothed down his unruly hair and kissed his forehead.

"I know.  See you tomorrow, bye" said Josh as he opened the door.

With a smile and a wave Donna headed for her car.

Josh put The Cat in the Hat back on the shelf and Green Eggs and Ham in his backpack. He took down a picture from the shelf.  It was a photo of himself and Noah; he couldn't have been any more than 5.  They were at the beach.  Josh was wearing cut off shorts and a baseball cap.  He was covered in sand, sporting a huge dimpled smile.  Noah was kneeling next to him, his arm slung over Josh's shoulders.  He had both a set of matching dimples and a head full of wild hair.  Josh kissed the tips of his fingers and ran them over the image before carefully placing it back on the shelf.

By some strange occurrence Josh actually beat Donna to the office the next morning. He dropped a muffin and a cup of coffee on her desk before heading into his office.  He flicked on the light and the computer before even dropping his backpack.  As he reached in to grab the files he had taken home his hand brushed against his Green Eggs and Ham book.  He pulled it out and placed it next to his computer.  Absently, he opened his email as he sorted through a stack of phone messages.  Not really paying attention to what was in his inbox he opened the note from Donna.

As he began to read he made the grave mistake of taking a large sip of coffee.

Donna entered the bullpen just as choking and gasping sounds were starting to come from the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff.  She ran in to make sure Josh was ok.  She found him red faced and choking in front of his computer that was covered in something that looked suspiciously like coffee.

"Josh, you ok?" asked Donna with the most innocent face she could manage.

"God, Donna.  A 'caution may cause spewing of coffee' warning would have been nice on this little message you sent." groaned Josh as he reached for the box of tissues on his desk.  He wiped his face as Donna stopped laughing long enough to wipe off the monitor and his shirt and tie.

"Came out your nose, huh?" teased Donna.

"Yeah, it did" smirked Josh.  "Now let me finish reading this.  Here, you hold the coffee"  He handed her the coffee and went back to his reading.  She sat behind his desk and drank half of the coffee while trying to keep her giggles under control.

He finished reading, turned to face Donna and just smiled.  A full dimpled smile, one that hadn't crossed his face in weeks.  Donna could only return the smile and hand back his coffee.

"Get to work.  You've got staff in 20 minutes" she said before disappearing out the door.

Josh finished the coffee and got to work.

The day went smoothly.  Josh seemed to be in a better mood.  Sam and Leo even mentioned it to Donna.  By the time 6 o'clock came Donna was more than ready to leave.  Josh was still in a meeting in the Oval Office.  She started to regret promising him that she would stick around until he was finished with the meeting.  At 6:30 he appeared at her desk.

"I'm going to be a while longer, why don't you take off?"

"You sure.  I can stay" said Donna.

"No.  Go home.  You deserve to go home at a decent hour on Friday night."

"OK, I'll call you in the morning.  Bye"

Josh turned to leave.  He got as far as the doorway.  He turned around and grabbed hold of the top of the doorframe and leaned forward, balancing himself.  It was something he hadn't done in weeks.  Donna just smiled.

"Thanks for everything, I mean it"

"I know, you're welcome"

Josh gave her a dimpled smile and returned to his meeting.  Donna went home to enjoy a peaceful evening of mindless television and ice cream.

The meeting ran until after 9 and Josh was exhausted by the time he made it back to his office.  He sat at the computer and reread the message from Donna as he drank a cup of lukewarm coffee.  Turning back towards his desk he propped his feet up and thumbed through Green Eggs and Ham.

"I can do this too" he muttered to himself.  An hour and three more cups of decaf coffee later he smiled to himself as he hit send.

As usual Donna called Josh bright and early Saturday morning.  They met for breakfast and went into work.  

As Donna turned on her computer and sat down Josh hung in the doorway behind her.  She glanced at her email and opened Josh's message.  She knew he was still behind her but tried to ignore him.  She picked up her coffee cup as she started to read.  Josh walked up behind her and took it away.

"Hey" she said trying to get it back.

"Trust me, please?" pleaded Josh with a dimpled smile.  "Just read"

He took a step back and drank her coffee as she read his message.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subj:  With even bigger apologies to Dr. Seuss

Date: 6/14/01

From: jlyman@whitehouse.gov

To: dmoss@whitehouse.gov 

I figure two can play this game so here is my poor imitation of Dr. Seuss.

Say!

I am so ready to laugh and play.

Really I want to every day.

And I would smile for you in a boat.

Even if you wanted to push me in a moat.

I'd smile for you in the rain.

And in the dark, and on a train.

And in my car. And under a tree

You are so good, so good to me.

So I'll try to be happy, wait and see.

I'll be the happiest guy that I can be.

Tonight, won't you please come over to my house?

I promise I won't be quiet as a mouse.

I want to thank you for all you've done.

For all the battles together we've won.

I have the take out menus, we can order food

I want to share with you my better mood.

The reason for my mood is plain to see

It's because of the way you care for me

I don't know how to repay you for all you do

But I know, with all my heart, I do adore you.

Well, I'm sure Dr. Seuss is rolling over in his grave so I will end this now.

Forever,

Joshua

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her giggles started immediately but quickly mixed with tears.  Josh handed her his handkerchief over her shoulder as she finished reading. Wiping her face and eyes, she stood up and hugged him.  They held each other tight as tears streamed down both their faces.  

Josh felt as if he had turned a corner.  He knew, that with Donna's help, things would get better and he would be able to live again.

"Hey, enough mushy stuff.  We have that *thing* to work on" whispered Josh as he smoothed back Donna's hair and kissed her cheek.

They reluctantly let go of each other when a messenger dropped a package on Donna's desk.  Josh picked it up and shook it.

"God, you are such a little kid sometimes, Joshua" teased Donna.

"Hey, it's from my mom" said Josh as he took the package into his office.  "Maybe she sent food." he added as he motioned for Donna to follow him.

Donna just grinned as Josh tore into the package like a kid on Hanukkah.  He took out the note and tossed it aside as he reached inside the box.

"Hey, read the note first" said Donna

"You read it" said Josh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Joshua,

Saw this at the airport gift shop and thought of you.  I'm hoping it will bring a smile to your sweet face my son.  Take care and I'll call you when I get back.  Give Donna a hug and kiss for me.  I'm sure she needs it after spending so much time taking care of you.

Love,

Mom

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Josh didn't notice Donna blush; he was too busy pulling something out of the box.  The two of them erupted into a fit of giggles as he pulled out a red and white striped stovepipe hat.  He put it on and gave Donna the biggest dimpled smile she had seen from him in over a year.  She just sighed and sent up a silent prayer of thanks as she crossed the room and took him into her arms once more.

THE END

**Sequel:** "Not Too Much Too Ask"

  



End file.
